National Republican., 1887-02-26
| |-
A Heavy Responsibility.

charleston, s. g., News and Courier, Feb. 1871
The importance of the Blair educational
billto every southern state has been too clearly
shown and is too fully understood to require to
pc argued anew. Recent reports from Lou
isana give the unpleasant Information that
over onehalf of the voters Of that state cannot
read OF write, and that the number of hit.
crates Is increasing from year to year rather
than diminishing, Expenditures fol. eduoa-
tonal purposes have reached high-water
s ana n SeTS S muse bs
tanned or great number of children, white
and black, will grow up in hopeless ignorance.
The supposed constitutional objections to
the Blair bill have been overcome, or, at any
rate, the bill has been shown TO be as consti.
tutional as many other less deserving meas
nres that have been passed without any oblec..
| tion. IL is OF supreme. consequence 1t is OF
any consequence at ALL that the people shall
be educated. II intelligence, in short, is an
element Of value in the exercise OF the sui.
ifage-if II is necessary for the success of free
institutions and of a government of aud by
tho people, that they who control tho govern
ment shall have trained minds, or at least
enough education to enable them 10 read and
write-then Is this bill of more importance
than even the bills for the construction OF u
navy, or OF fortifcations, or for any other pur.
pose.
There is always, moreover, the special and
most urgent reason In favor of the particular
bill in question, that where illiteracy is most
glaring and most dangerous, that is In the
south, 1t has been made an element of peril
| TO the south and 10 the whole country, by the
action OF the nation in imposing the suffrage
on race of people who were utterly unpre-
| pared and unfit for It, and who are hopelessly
unable TO educate themselves No evidence or
reason whatever is given. or can be given, we
believe, to justify the expectation that the
southern states can successfully deal with the
| pressing problem Of educating this class Of
their illiterate citizens, and those who are soon
| to become citizens.
These are the general facts. A reasonable
and proper bill which would give the neeued
AID, and would correct in every respect the
| passed the Senate BY an overwhelming vote,
| but is now tied up in committee of the House
| of Representatives, with no prospect that 1t
| porters OF the bill would make no objection II
| II were fairly voted down. But they caunot
| get n chance TO have vote taken. Only by
the action OF the committee on rules, at this
| stage OF the session, can the bill be taken up
and put upon its passage, but the majority of
| the committee-Speaker Carlisle, Mr.. Morri-
| son, and Mr.. Randall constituting that ma.
jority-have so far fatty refused. or have failed,
| to allow 1t to come before the House.
1t computed that not more than seventy
| In any of its essential features. The majority
of the House, therefore, are simply gagged by
majority Of the committee on rules; and, In
the last analysis of the situation, hundreds of
thousands OF white and black children nre
being deprived of the benefits and advantages
OF an education because of the abuse of an
arbitrary parliamentary rule by one or two
men. The forms and restraints which were
rights of minority in the House are thus
| made the means OF muzzling and shackllng
| the majority and of inilicting an irreparable
injury upon the children, the future citizens
Of the country. u Is q curious state of things
| to begin with, and 1t is q dangerous, undemo-
cratic and altogether wrong condition OF
things to contemplate in Its course and assured
consequences.